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Pittsburgh gets the best player in the game back (barring an injuries) and with depth they received in the Staal deal having to be favorites for the #1 Seed. Caronlina's top two lines are as good as anybody in the NHL. The defense is a little "meh" but Cam Ward can steal games with some of the best. I think the Northeast could showcase only one team this season and the B's are the favorite for the division.

When looking at PHI vs. NYR the one thing that stands out in (IMO) the Rangers didn't really improve. They landed Nash but gave up some depth to do it. The Flyers can roll four lines (like the B's) and I fully expect Bryz to have a bounce back year. Tampa Bay nearly made it to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2011 and are just to talented not to make the playoffs. Washington is tough because they get Backstrom back but their defense is injury prone and I'm not impressed by either goalie.

For the #8 seed it's a coin flip. Florida returns a team that won their division while Buffalo added Ott in the off-season. The weakness of Florida is goaltending and that could be the thing that hold them out of the playoffs. If they can swing a deal for a guy like LOLongo I'd probably move them up as high as #6.

I think Boston has a good shot at finishing on top of the EC this year as Pit got worse when they lost Staal and it will be difficult for NYR to repeat even though they got Nash.

BOS
PHI
CAR
NYR
PIT
WSH
FLA
WPG/BUF

How did PIT get worse? They finished 1 point behind the Rangers for #1 seed in the East and the Atlantic Division. They did all this while missing Sidney Crosby for 60 games. While you lose Staal, you gain Crosby who is (when healthy) the best player in the game.

How did PIT get worse? They finished 1 point behind the Rangers for #1 seed in the East and the Atlantic Division. They did all this while missing Sidney Crosby for 60 games. While you lose Staal, you gain Crosby who is (when healthy) the best player in the game.

True, but Staal was a very dependable third line center for them and Crosby has not been a very dependable 1st/2nd line center due to his health. Its sad to say but he is probably going to get hurt again this year.

True, but Staal was a very dependable third line center for them and Crosby has not been a very dependable 1st/2nd line center due to his health. Its sad to say but he is probably going to get hurt again this year.

Jordan Staal wasn't exactly healthy the last two seasons. Last year he missed 20 games and the year before that he missed 40. While Sidney could get hurt so could Staal. While Staal is a very dependable third line center, Crosby is an elite center. Look at the two from last year